Hat box



M. F. PAYNE Dec. 17, 1940.

HAT BOX 2 Sheds-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 6, 1935 W mvam'oa a MI]. I.

HER ATTORNEYS Dec. 17, 1940. M. F. PAYNE 2,225,483

HAT BOX Filed Nov. 6, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H ER ATTORNEYS Patented Dec.17, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

My invention relates to merchandising packages, and has among itsobjects and advantages the provision of an improved hat box embodyingmeans for protecting the crown of the hat against crushing duringtransit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hat box which may beassembled from a onepiece blank of cardboard or similar material. Afurther object of this invention is to provide a hat supporting membercentrally located within the assembled box, said centrally locatedhatsupporting member being comprised of interlocking or interengagingmembers integral with the walls of said box and supporting byinterlocking bottom members. A still further object of this invention isto provide a hat box having a hat supporting member which may becompletely assembled into a strong, rigid unit from a collapsed tubularformation without the use of additional fastening means.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my invention with certain parts removedfor the sake of clearness;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; 4

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating the blank from which the completedboxis formed;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a slightly different form ofconstruction;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view along th line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the blank from which the box is formed.

In one embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, I make use of acardboard blank I0 provided with bottom flaps I2 and I4 bendable alonglines I6 and I8, respectively. The material of the blank II] is severedalong lines 20 to permit the flaps I2 and I4 to be bent along the linesI6 and I8 which lie within the contour of the blank proper.

Hat-supporting flaps 22 and 24 are formed integrally with the blank Ill.These flaps are bendable along lines 26 and 28 conforming to the linesI6 and I8. Four slots 30 are provided in the flap I2, while three slots32 are provided in the flap 22. The flap I4 is severed along the curvedlines 34 to provide two tabs 36, while the flap 24 is provided with twotabs 38 and a tab 4|] having a tapered end 42. The tabs 38 are notchedat 44.

The flap 22 is notched at 46 to provide two wings 48 bendable along thelines 50. This flap includes a tab 52. Slots 54 are cut in the flap 24to provide wings 56 bendable along lines 58. I indicate the tab 40 asbeing bendable along lines 60 and the tab 52 along the line 62.- I scorethe blank III along lines 64 to permit bending transversely, wherebyfour walls 66, 68, Ill, and I2 are provided.

To be assembled, the blank I0 is bent along the lines 64 and theabutting edges 14 of the walls 66 and 12 are secured together by a stripof adhesive tape 16 toform the blank I0 into a tube. The flaps 22 and 24are bent inwardly along the lines 26 and 28 and upwardly along the linesI8 and 8D. The wings 48 are bent inwardly along the score lines 50, andthe wings 56 are similarly bent and arranged in overlapping relationwith the wings 48. At this time the tabs 38 are passed through the slots32 in the wings 48. The tab 52 is bent to the position illustrated inFig. 2, and the tab 40 bent over the tab 52 and its tapered end 42passing through the central slot 32. The two tabs I2 and I4 are bent inoverlapping relation to provide a bottom for the box with the tabs 36passed through the slots 30 for connecting the flaps I2 and I4.

Fig. 1 illustrates the box in its finished form. It will be noted that Iprovide an upstanding member 82 formed from the flaps 22 and 24interlocked in the form of a truncated pyramid. This pyramid provides asupport for the crown of a hat, while the box proper provides a packagewhich encloses the hat. A suitable cover may be provided. Myconstruction permits hats to be transported without crushing, and themember 82 provides an effective support for the crown of the hat at alltimes. I

The box illustrated in Fig. 1 is collapsible. By disconnecting theinterlocked parts of the member 82 and the interlocked bottom flaps I2and I4, the resulting tube may be folded fiat at either of two diagonalcorners, and the flat tube may then be folded again along the line ofthe two unfolded diagonal corners. This feature permits boxes to bestacked in fiat relation and packaged for transportation purposes.

In Figs. 6 to 9, I illustrate a slightly different form of constructionin which the blank 84 is provided with four flaps: a pair of adjacentbottom flaps 86 and 88 and a pair of adjacent hatsupporting flaps 90 and92. The hat-supporting flaps 90 and 92 are provided with similarlyshaped tabs 94 and 96, respectively. The tab 94 is slotted at 98inwardly of its end, while the tab 96 and the flap 92 are provided witha common slot I00. The blank 84 is scored to bend along lines I02, whilethe flaps 86, 88, 90, and 92 are bendable along a common line I04. Iprovide the flap 88 with a tab I66 bendable along the line I08.

To be assembled, the blank 84 is connected together by an adhesive tapeHi! to form a tube in the same way as the box previously described.After the walls of the box have been formed, the flaps 90 and 92 arebent inwardly and the tabs 94 and 96 interlocked together by passing thetab 94 through the slot I09 and positioning the uncut part H2 of the tab96 within the slot 98 of the tab 94. After the tabs 94 and 96 have beeninterlocked together, the fiap 86 is bent inwardly and the flap 88 bentover the flap 86, with the tab I96 inserted between the flap 86 and thehat supporting fiap 92 to interlock the bottom flaps 86 and 88 (see Fig.8). In this construction, the tabs 94 and 96 provide an upstandingmember I I4 embodying four wings I I6, which serves as a unitary,centrally-disposed hat-supporting member.

The box illustrated in Figures 6 to 9 is col-- lapsible; By removing thetab 196 from between the hat-supporting flap 92 and the bottom fiap 86,each of the bottom flaps 86 and 88 and the hat-supporting fiaps 99 and92 may be withdrawn to a position parallel to the planes of the walls ofthe box with which each of the fiaps are integral. The resulting tubemay then be folded flat along diagonally opposite score lines I92.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have provided a hat box with anupstanding centrally disposed hat-supporting member which may be readilyassembled from a unitary fiat tubular structure without the use ofadditional fastening means. Both modifications disclosed possess theadvantage that the complete box may be shipped in a collapsed form fromthe carton manufacturer to the milliner, who may conveniently assemblethe box immediately prior to use. 7

Due to the interlocking bottom flaps and the hat-supporting flaps, thebottom of the box is heavily reinforced by the several plies of materialto form a rigid base which prevents deformation of the entire structureunder normal conditions of use. Additional rigidity is also afforded bythe hat-supporting flaps. In both modifications, the edges of thehat-supporting fiaps engage the adjacent walls of the box and therebytend to maintain them at right angles to the walls with which thehat-supporting fi aps are integral. Still further rigidity is afiordedby the centrally disposed hat-supporting tabs. In both modificationsthese tabs are so interlocked that under normal conditions of use theycannot move relatively to each other. Since these tabs cannot moverelativelyto each'other, the flaps and walls with which they areintegral are also prevented frommoving relatively to each other.

It is apparent that this invention is not limited to the specificembodiments disclosed, either in whole or in part, but only by theappended claims. i

What is claimed is:

1. In a hat box, a first hat-supporting fiap integral with a wall ofsaid box, a first centrally disposedlupst'anding tab integral with saidfirst flap, a second hat-supporting flap integral with another wall ofsaid box, a second centrally disposed upstanding tab integral with saidsecond flap, and means to interlock said first and second tabs againstrelative movement with respect to ,each other comprising an unslottedportion of said first tab received in a closed slot in said second taband an unslotted portion of said second tab'received'in an open slot insaid first tab.

2. In a hat box, a first hat-supporting flap integral with a wall ofsaid box, a first centrally disposed upstanding tab integral with saidfirst flap, a second hat-supporting fiap integral with another wall ofsaid box, a second centrally disposed upstanding tab integral with saidsecond hat-supporting fiap, means for interlocking said first and secondtabs against lateral movement with respect to each other comprising anunslotted portion of said first tab received in a closed slot in saidsecond tab and an unslotted portion of said second tab received in anopen slot in said first tab, and bottom members supporting saidhat-supporting flaps and interlocked with respect to each other wherebysaid box and said centrally disposed hat-supporting members areinterlocked into a rigid unit.

3. In a hat box, a hat-supporting flap integral with a wall of said box,a centrally disposed upstanding winged tab integral with said fiap, asecond hat-supporting flap integral with another wall of said box, and asecond centrally disposed upstanding winged tab integral with saidsecond flap, the wings of said first tab and the wings of said secondtab being interlocked to prevent relative movement of said tabs withrespect to each other and to form a rigid centrally disposedhatsupporting member.

4'. In a hat box, a hat-supporting fiap integral with a wall of saidbox, a centrally disposed upstanding winged tab integral with said flap,a second hat-supporting fiap integral with another wall of said box, asecond centrally disposed upstanding winged tab integral with saidsecond flap, the wings of said first tab and the wings of said secondtab being interlocked to prevent relative movement of said tabs withrespect to each other and to form a rigid centrally disposedhatsupporting member, and bottom fiaps supporting said hat-supportingflaps and interlocked with respect to each other to maintain the box asa rigidunit.

5. In a hat box, a first hat-supporting flap integral with a'wall ofsaid box, a first centrally disposed upstanding tab integral with saidfirst flap, a second hat-supporting fiap integral with another wall ofsaid box adjacent said first wall, a second centrally disposedupstanding tab integral with said second fiap, and means to interlocksaid first and second tabs against relative movement with respect toeach other comprising an unslotted portion of said first tab received ina closed slot in said second tab and an unslotted portion of said secondtab received in an'open slot in said first tab.

6. In a hat box, a hat-supporting flap integral with a wall of said box,a centrally disposed up standing'tab integral with said flap, said'taband fiap having a common slot extending partially into said tab andflap, a second hat-supporting flap integral with another wall of saidbox and adjacent said first flap, a second centrally dis posedupstanding tab integral with said second flap and having a slot in theend thereof, said second tab being inserted in the slot common to' saidfirst flap and tab and engaging the unslotted portion of said first tabin the slot in the end of said second tab, and bottom flaps supportingsaid hat-supporting fiaps and interlocked to maintain the box as a rigidunit.

MAUD F. PAYNE.

